Tutorial needed

[nytecam]

Got some brief 'L' data on M27 last night before cloud moved in and would like to extract and merge some old M27 colour data into the recent image. Any tutorials or advise? The mono @ f/10 and colour images @ f/3.7 so to different scales and maybe orientation. TIA

[LDUNN1]

....I did something similar recently - using data from two different imaging trains - collecting L from a mono CCD with a 70-200 camera lens @ 200mm, with 'colour' data from a DSLR with a 24-105 @ 105mm.

The software that I have read about (& am about to purchase) is Registar, I've been recommended this by other users - it pretty much automatically aligns & scales anything that you throw at it, automatically.

[nytecam]

....I did something similar recently - using data from two different imaging trains - collecting L from a mono CCD with a 70-200 camera lens @ 200mm, with 'colour' data from a DSLR with a 24-105 @ 105mm. The software that I have read about (& am about to purchase) is Registar, I've been recommended this by other users - it pretty much automatically aligns & scales anything that you throw at it, automatically.

Thanks Lawrence - trust me to imagine a manual freebie option

[LDUNN1]

......well, you can do it manually in Photoshop, but do you want to???? ;-)

I am not very skilled in PS, but my first few steps into LRGB imaging where you have to carefully align the layers, & in the image where I merged data from two different optical trains, was just painful, to the point where I decided that I'm going to get some software that does the job for me.

It will be interesting to see if anyone else posts - there might a a better 'free' option out there that I don't know about.

[Dave Smith]

You can also do it in Maxim DL but that is not cheap either.

Dave

[nytecam]

So it seem only big buck will solve the merge effortlessly from two optical trains - shame. I'm trying it manually at the moment and getting close. It comfirms what I know at the back of my mind for ages - chroma data can be quite blurred when added to L data and results in a sharp colour image.

[nytecam]

Here's my result so far eg lum @ f/10 + colour @ f/3.7 cropped + enlarged to match lum file and merge with placement error towards top - any takers?

[ultranova]

I could be wrong, but it looks like rotational error on youy alignment of the stack, I have tried something similar, and you have certainly done better than me.

sorry thats all i can offer.

Paul

[nytecam]

Thanks Paul - as you note it's a rotational error - will try to correct with PS.

[jezhughes]

not sure what to suggest on the software front (im on Mac so its a graveyard here). I've done it manually in PS before though and have a layer technique which works out pretty well, i can align about 4 layers /min on to a base layer. its just a practice thing, after a while its not so bad.

[LDUNN1]

Do you have dropbox or google drive accounts? somewhere your can deposit the two masters you are trying to merge?

If you do, & can send me the link, & don't mind waiting a few days (which might turn possibly into weeks!), I could try merging them for you with registar for you.

It is early days for me with registar, so I only know how to use the basics so far.

[ronaldo999]

Have you not tried DSS , its free and works well. Personally i use photoshop, its expensive but is a fantastic tool with many options available.

[ollypenrice]

I do an awful lot of multi focal length composite imaging and Registar is just fantastic. There really isn't much to learn with it. I use it to align RG and B channels as well because it is more accurate than the other programmes I've tried. I know it's expensive though.

You can usually buy cheaper copies of legit Photoshop CS3 (which is all you need.) It does work on Win7.

Olly

[fwm891]

...

You can usually buy cheaper copies of legit Photoshop CS3 (which is all you need.) It does work on Win7.

Olly

I bought my 'legit' copy of PS SC3 Extended on *bay. Extended version gives you a lot more layer stacking options...

[jezhughes]

Bare in mind (i work in design so i know these things) PS is more affordable now than it was. It used to be £1k+ one off, you can now get it on subscription for about £20 per month.

It's still a lot, but not as much as it used to be.. And as people have said, you get a vast amount of flexibility and tools in it. (i'm talking about CS6 by the way, which again is a vast improvement from previous versions)

[LDUNN1]

....you could always marry a teacher & get her (or him) to buy it via their educational discount scheme & get about 80% off the RRP.........I know getting married is a tad drastic just to get some cheaper software, but it worked for me.......